Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 27, 2011 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 1 Turkey Vulture 56 2193 6897 Osprey 3 40 40 Bald Eagle 10 24 54 Northern Harrier 19 84 100 Sharp-shinned Hawk 664 1548 1611 Cooper's Hawk 10 44 94 Northern Goshawk 0 1 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 3 106 578 Broad-winged Hawk 4464 8425 8425 Red-tailed Hawk 40 800 1779 Rough-legged Hawk 7 20 56 Golden Eagle 3 7 7 American Kestrel 9 28 37 Merlin 2 11 13 Peregrine Falcon 1 6 9 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 2 Unknown Buteo 0 10 31 Unknown Falcon 0 2 2 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 4 6 Total: 5291 13354 19743 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Mike Street Observers: Brian Hawthorne, John Stevens, Tim King, Tom Thomas Visitors: Gord Kozak, Sandra Van Hullenar, Sandra and Frank Horvath Weather: Early fog off Lake Ontario stopped just before Beamer CA allowing east wind to help birds move freely. Temperature was +16°C to start, rising to +24°C. Winds were light until the cold front got to the area. Rain shut down the count at 1500 hours. Raptor Observations: 14 different species!!! Second highest single day count of raptors in the history of the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch. Thanks to Tom Thomas, Brian Hawthorne, Tim King & John Stevens, without whose help the count would have been impossible. Thanks also to our friends at Ripley HW for sending yesterday's birds our way! Non-raptor Observations: Two Sandhill Cranes; two Belted Kingfishers; 25 Double-crested Cormorants in one flock; Song, Field and White-throated Sparrows; Great Crested Flycatcher; Blue-gray Gnatcatcher; Gray Catbird; Brown Thrasher; Ruby-crowned Kinglet; Northern Flicker. Predictions: There should be more birds tomorrow AM before the next rain front arrives. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mike Street (mikestre...@gmail.com) Beamer Conservation Area, Grimsby, ON information may be found at: http://www.niagarapeninsulahawkwatch.org/ Site Description: Hawk migration monitoring at the Beamer Memorial Conservation Area in Grimsby, Ontario is conducted by the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch (NPH). All counting is done by volunteers. Not all members are counters nor does a counter have to be a member. Typically one person is the designated counter for each day but other observers present assist with the spotting and identification. Counting is done from a steel observation tower with a wooden floor. For wind protection on cold days, particularly in March, a black plastic wind guard is installed around the tower's platform. This platform easily accommodates ten people but on most busy days, no more than five or six observers would be on it. The site lies within a publicly accessible property owned by the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority. There is no charge for admittance. The tower stands in the centre of a mowed area with a gravel ring road near the outer edge. This provides lots of room to park vehicles (along the road) and set up lawn chairs, telescopes and cameras. Toilet facilities are present. During the counting season, the NPH erect a counting board to display seven day's worth of observation data for the public. The box enclosing the sign contains brochures and silhouette sheets for the public as well as bulletin boards with news and historical sighting records. Directions to site: To get to Beamer CA, take the QEW to Exit 71/72, follow Christie St./Mountain St. to the top of the escarpment, turn right on Ridge Road West, and go 1.6km to Quarry Rd. Turn right on Quarry Rd. and drive 100m to the conservation area. Parking is normally available inside the park. If parking at the entrance or on the roads, do NOT leave valuables in your car. Please note: Data in this report is not official until reviewed and finalized after the end of the season. © 2011 Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch
_______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
